#DeflateGate (Court of Appeals Reinstates Suspension)

[colincb]

Just in case ESPN tries to pull a Chad Ford on us:

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/12202450/nfl-says-new-england-patriots-had-inflated-footballs-afc-championship-game

The NFL has found that 11 of the New England Patriots' 12 game balls were inflated significantly below the NFL's requirements, league sources involved and familiar with the investigation of Sunday's AFC Championship Game told ESPN.

The investigation found the footballs were inflated 2 pounds per square inch below what's required by NFL regulations during the Pats' 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, according to sources.

[danglertx]

So maybe the only ball that was around 2 psi under was in the possession of the Colts.  hmmmm...

Why isn't the NFL coming out and saying what the inflation was instead of letting things get reported incorrectly.  Give us the [dang] facts!  First is was a Colt's player who noticed the ball.  Then he denies it.  Then it was the Colts equipment guy, who is totally believable, then it wasn't him but the Ravens.  Then the Ravens say it wasn't them.  Now maybe its the Jets.  It was all the balls but one were 2psi low, now maybe just one the Colts had in their possession.  No information on the Colt's balls, only that they say they weren't under inflated.

Why isn't the Ref involved talking?  Did he add air to the balls?  Did he take air out to get it to 12.5?  What kind of guage was used, was it tested.  Has the NFL tested the temperature difference? 

There is a complete absence of facts and only stories that conflict with each other and yet people seem to be perfectly willing to convict the Patriots, Bilicheck, and Brady on that feeble reporting.  Sad.

[Roy H.]

Jeez I basically assumed that the 11 out of 12 balls thing was real because how could you falsely report an actual measurement that someone made.

I'll add that I thought the number was valid because 1) Mortensen is generally reliable, 2) if the report was wrong, the league allowed one of its Super Bowl teams to get its name dragged through the mud for a week without saying anything.

I just don't get that.  Maybe it's the "there's no such thing as bad publicity" angle, but at some point isn't the perception that your best teams are blatantly cheating bad for business?

Now, this won't be settled until the actual numbers are released, but I'm certainly a lot more skeptical of the media firestorm if the "11 of 12 balls were 2.0 psi off" thing was overblown.

[rondohondo]

Just in case ESPN tries to pull a Chad Ford on us:

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/12202450/nfl-says-new-england-patriots-had-inflated-footballs-afc-championship-game

The NFL has found that 11 of the New England Patriots' 12 game balls were inflated significantly below the NFL's requirements, league sources involved and familiar with the investigation of Sunday's AFC Championship Game told ESPN.

The investigation found the footballs were inflated 2 pounds per square inch below what's required by NFL regulations during the Pats' 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, according to sources.

does this mean that they were inflated 2psi lower when the refs checked them ?  or in the first half ?

Because if the refs checked them and knew they were already low this would look really bad for the Pats and the NFL for knowingly letting play go on with balls that weren't regulation .

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

why cant this just be handled like the weigh-in for boxing. If you make weight at the weigh in then it does not matter what weight you actually fight at after the weigh in.

In this case the balls are weighed before the game and after that there should be two ball officials that guard the balls during the game.

I'll take it a step further: There is no need for, nor should there be, any psi requirements other than "Is the football inflated enough to pass it?" If the answer to that question is yes, then that's the end of the story. Who cares if one team likes the football firmer and others softer? If each team is allowed to do what it wants, then no team has a competitive advantage over another. There are so many possible variables—climate, personal preference, ball prep, the fact that no two footballs are identical to begin with—that having a "12.5 to 13.5 psi" requirement, or any other requirement along that line, is silly.

[footey]

This new news that 10 out of 12 balls being closer to 11.5 psi should probably spell the end of Chris mortenson.  What a fraud

Not to mention the Colts' equipment manager. Why is the ball that was turned over to him following the interception (which the intercepter found nothing wrong with) the one ball that was 10.5 psi, while the others were 11.5 psi? 

The "chain of custody" of the evidence  might explain why this particular ball is the outlier.  Did the equipment manager test the ball? Did he deflate the ball, to make the Pats look bad?  Probably not, but this is the ridiculous line of speculation that the Patriots have been facing since this joke of a scandal emerged after the shellacking of the Colts. I felt bad at the end of the game for the Pats running up the score. Now I wish they hadn't taken a knee at the end, and scored a final touchdown. 

One final thought: Has anyone bothered to interview Andrew Luck on his PSI preference? 

[littleteapot]

Jeez I basically assumed that the 11 out of 12 balls thing was real because how could you falsely report an actual measurement that someone made.

I'll add that I thought the number was valid because 1) Mortensen is generally reliable, 2) if the report was wrong, the league allowed one of its Super Bowl teams to get its name dragged through the mud for a week without saying anything.

I just don't get that.  Maybe it's the "there's no such thing as bad publicity" angle, but at some point isn't the perception that your best teams are blatantly cheating bad for business?

Now, this won't be settled until the actual numbers are released, but I'm certainly a lot more skeptical of the media firestorm if the "11 of 12 balls were 2.0 psi off" thing was overblown.

Ya I still have no idea what the NFL as a whole has to gain from this. People do love villains, but it's not like the NFL is short on those.

[Cman]

Jeez I basically assumed that the 11 out of 12 balls thing was real because how could you falsely report an actual measurement that someone made.

I'll add that I thought the number was valid because 1) Mortensen is generally reliable, 2) if the report was wrong, the league allowed one of its Super Bowl teams to get its name dragged through the mud for a week without saying anything.

I just don't get that.  Maybe it's the "there's no such thing as bad publicity" angle, but at some point isn't the perception that your best teams are blatantly cheating bad for business?

Now, this won't be settled until the actual numbers are released, but I'm certainly a lot more skeptical of the media firestorm if the "11 of 12 balls were 2.0 psi off" thing was overblown.

Ya I still have no idea what the NFL as a whole has to gain from this. People do love villains, but it's not like the NFL is short on those.

I don't think it was as instrumental as that. I think the NFL didn't want to botch things like they did with Ray Rice. So they are taking a very cautious and closed lip approach to this one.  But from a timing point of view (given Super Bowl next week), the closed lip approach has led to this being blown out of proportion and ultimately (I'm guessing) very bad PR for the NFL.

[colincb]

Jeez I basically assumed that the 11 out of 12 balls thing was real because how could you falsely report an actual measurement that someone made.

I'll add that I thought the number was valid because 1) Mortensen is generally reliable, 2) if the report was wrong, the league allowed one of its Super Bowl teams to get its name dragged through the mud for a week without saying anything.

I just don't get that.  Maybe it's the "there's no such thing as bad publicity" angle, but at some point isn't the perception that your best teams are blatantly cheating bad for business?

Now, this won't be settled until the actual numbers are released, but I'm certainly a lot more skeptical of the media firestorm if the "11 of 12 balls were 2.0 psi off" thing was overblown.

Ya I still have no idea what the NFL as a whole has to gain from this. People do love villains, but it's not like the NFL is short on those.

I don't think it was as instrumental as that. I think the NFL didn't want to botch things like they did with Ray Rice. So they are taking a very cautious and closed lip approach to this one.  But from a timing point of view (given Super Bowl next week), the closed lip approach has led to this being blown out of proportion and ultimately (I'm guessing) very bad PR for the NFL.

You want to be in front of the story.  The NFL let it fester for days before they came out with a statement that they could have made on day 1.  If Mortenson got the story from an NFL executive (vs the colts or some other team), then they are directly responsible for tarnishing their own product. This is a major corporate screwup no matter what.

[BballTim]

I don't think it was as instrumental as that. I think the NFL didn't want to botch things like they did with Ray Rice. So they are taking a very cautious and closed lip approach to this one.  But from a timing point of view (given Super Bowl next week), the closed lip approach has led to this being blown out of proportion and ultimately (I'm guessing) very bad PR for the NFL.

   I think that the league's stuck in a bad position on this. I think they're stuck investigating a rule violation when they don't particularly enforce the rule normally. I doubt that they really accurately measure the psi in the balls before the game and it's a little late in the story line to admit that.

[colincb]

Tom Curren on NESN saying that the one ball that was 2 lbs under was the one that the Colts had in their possession from the interception. 

[kraidstar]

Tom Curren on NESN saying that the one ball that was 2 lbs under was the one that the Colts had in their possession from the interception.

if this is true than either mortensen or his source needs to lose their job, this sounds like an outright hatchet job against the pats.
and it's strange that the ball the colts intercepted would be the lowest one. maybe it was the rain? maybe it was a setup by irsay, maybe they deflated it themselves, the rumors suggest they might have been planning this. the colts are so pathetic that at this point i could almost see that happening.
speaking of irsay
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2014/10/17/jim-irsay-dui-arrest-video-released/17433323/

[Eja117]

Dear media....you...should...shut...up...now.

[jambr380]

This new news is AMAZING. While I'm upset that the Patriots may eventually end up losing the Super Bowl because of this nonsense, I am psyched that all these 'experts' (and the NFL office) are going to end up looking super-foolish. In Belichick/Brady I trust. I never had any doubt guys!

[Roy H.]

While I'm upset that the Patriots may eventually end up losing the Super Bowl because of this nonsense...

If anything, I think the Pats are more likely to win due to this.  They're best when they play with a chip on their shoulder.